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It is recorded at least eight times in the Psalms about delighting oneself in the law. I don’t know about you but I don’t take great delight in some of the laws of the land; paying taxes, driving at speed limits, and fishing regulations come to mind. But the law David speaks of is the law of God. Here are a few, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord.” (Ps 1:2) “I delight in your statues; I will not neglect Your word. (Ps. 119:16) For I delight in Your commands because I love them.” (119:48)
Now my question is why would anyone in their right mind delight in God’s law? As we look at the root meaning of the word we may even become more confused. It is from the Hebrew word “sha’shua’ which means enjoyment and pleasure. How can anyone take enjoyment and pleasure from the Scripture when it sometimes points to areas of their lives in which they need to change? Nobody wants to be told what to do, nobody really wants to be told they are missing the mark and their lives can use improvement. In fact some people spend most of their lives hiding from truth that challenges who they have become.
But David knew that in order to have true fellowship with the Lord he must allow the Word of God to have full sway over his life. He knew the source of all joy was to be found in obedience to the perfect will of the Lord. And that God’s perfect will could never be known outside of His commands as revealed in scripture. Anyone who truly desires to be a disciple of the Lord should take delight in having God’s Word applied to their hearts as it brings about needed change in their lives.